After High School
by sai-co
Summary: They were always in the same classes together. It was as if fate wanted them to be together. But, the two never became friends in school. It wasn't until the summer before college that they actually started "talking" to each other. Sess/Kag AU in Drabbles
1. Graduated

AN: First Story...eva. Be nice?

Disclaimer: Don't own anything...

* * *

Finally, freedom was within their grasps and the world was in their hands. The senior class of the Medical Academy in the local High School was finally graduating. The four years had been gruesome, but it finally paid off.

The freshly graduates were all celebrating this special event with parties and alcohol along with their friends and family. Well, all of them except for two particular individuals.

* * *

One was sitting outside a small café strumming her guitar. Her guitar case was left by her leg and was quickly filling up with money. The girl was wearing what one would call an alternative grunge-y mess of thoroughly ripped jeans and an ill-fitted flannel shirt with the classic black leather combat boots.

The other was walking towards his favorite café. He was dressed neatly in nice jeans and a black button down shirt. The clothes accentuated his stern face and gorgeous hair. The boy had a computer bag strapped across his shoulder. He was planning on getting a head start in college by studying his subjects early while others were partying.

He stopped outside his designated café and saw people surrounding something in front of it.

The boy was not a curious person by nature and he usually ignored such commotions, but for some reason, he decided to see what the people were surrounding.

The boy carefully slid through the crowd and saw a familiar girl in the middle of the crowd. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw her head bent down, her eyes closed, and her face scrunched up in concentration as she played on her guitar.

"Kagome?" he blurted out in surprise.


	2. Familiar Strangers

AN: Hey there..I realized some of these stories will be drabbles and others will be longer. It really depends on how hyper I am. I don't have an attention span usually... sorry!

Disclaimer: Don't own nuthin' :D Inuyasha will never be mine... ever! Well, except in my dreams at night

* * *

_His eyes widened in surprise as he saw her head bent down, her eyes closed, and her face scrunched up in concentration as she played on her guitar._

_"Kagome?" he blurted out in surprise.

* * *

_

Chapter 2: Familiar Strangers

She suddenly looked up to see who had called her name. Her brown eyes searched through the crowd for a familiar face, and somehow, they landed on one familiar face in the crowd, Sessshoumaru.

* * *

Now, before we get any further into the story, you have to understand the nature of their relationship. They were not lovers. They weren't friends; they weren't even mere acquaintances. They were what you called familiar strangers.

They never knew each other on a personal level. They've never even talked to each other. But, they were classmates in their four years of high school together. They knew each other's names and face. But, that was all they knew of each other.

* * *

And so, Kagome smiled and waved hello to her now ex-classmate. Sesshoumaru nodded in acknowledgement and went into the café.

Kagome went on her business of strumming the guitar and Sesshoumaru ordered a cup of coffee and sat down at a table by a window. He discretely adjusted his seat to be able to see the girl perfectly from his vantage point.

He then booted up his laptop and began his work.

Kagome sneakily looked into the store and saw him settling down at a table that looked out onto the street. It gave her the perfect view of him. She smiled a little. She then began to constantly sneak peeks at him as she played her guitar.

Little to her knowledge, he was doing the same.

* * *

Sesshoumaru was walking to the café again. He needed to write out an application essay, and he couldn't concentrate at home. He thought maybe a change of scenery would do him good.

He was surprised that a familiar girl was sitting outside the café again. She still had her guitar and ripped jeans and she was strumming to the melody of some alternative song he never heard of.

Like last time, he went up to her and called out her name.

"Kagome."

She looked up and saw him standing in front of her. She simply smiled at him.

"Hi."

He nodded and went into the café. He ordered his cup of coffee and sat down at the same table he did the previous time. From his vantage point, he could do his application while keeping an eye on that girl.

* * *

As the days went on, this routine was almost habit to the both of them.

Sesshoumaru would walk to the café. He would walk up to Kagome who was always there strumming her guitar. He would call out her name. She would look up and greet him. He would nod back and go into the café. He would order and coffee and sit down at a table where he saw her clearly.

It wasn't until the middle of July when the routine was broke.

The day was extremely hot that particular Tuesday. Sweat literally poured out of every pore of Kagome's body. Her outfit didn't help her much. Her thick flannel was unbearable and her combat boots only made her more hot and itchy. She had no choice but to take shelter in the cool air conditioned café until the heat wore off.

And so, she packed up her stuff and went inside. She ordered a small cup of iced coffee and started looking around for a seat.

Since it was extremely hot that day, people had no choice but to stay inside... namely this small café.

There were no empty tables for Kagome to use and the café was jam-packed with people and noise.

She scanned the café again and saw Sesshoumaru sitting at his usual table typing diligently into his computer.

She scanned the room again looking for any free tables at all, hoping she didn't need to confront Sesshoumaru. Her search was in vain. She signed with defeat and mustered up her confidence. She marched up to Sesshoumaru and looked at him with determination. She took a big breathe and asked, "Is this seat free?"

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Please review! :D


	3. The Different Types of Silences

I really should be studying for Finals right now but you know what? I caught a case of senioritis and the sad thing is that I'm not a senior. I always thought hanging out with seniors all the time was bad. :?

Anyways I hope you enjoy... And please review! Thank you!

Disclaimer: Don't own... Thank the lamp I don't own Twilight! That would've been a nightmare.

Actually, that would be funny... hehe...he...hehe... okay I'll stop.

* * *

_She marched up to Sesshoumaru and looked at him with determination. She asked, "Is this seat free?"_

* * *

Chapter 3: The Different Types of Silences

The click-clacky sound of his keyboard stopped as he looked up to meet Kagome's gaze. He didn't say anything.

His unwavering stare made Kagome nervous and a bit uncomfortable. She tugged on the sleeves of her flannel and started to ramble,

"Well, its really hot out and I can't stay outside and there's people everywhere which means there isn't a free table and I really don't want to go outside and I don't want to ask-"

"Sure."

"…and I'm really sorry I bothered you and I'll just go outside- wait, did you say yes?"

Sesshoumaru nodded once.

Kagome grinned and dumped her guitar on the floor. She then unceremoniously plopped down on the empty chair across from him.

She fiddled with her thumbs and looked down as click-clack of Sesshoumaru's keyboard began again. She suddenly looked up to Sesshoumaru as she tried to muster up her courage again to say thank you.

"Uh…" Kagome began.

Sesshoumaru looked up and gave her a blank stare.

Kagome looked down again as her confidence dissipated and muttered a, "Never mind."

Sesshoumaru went back to typing.

Kagome looked around and then looked at her sleeves. She almost regretted sitting down and wished she was back outside in the hot humid weather.

She looked around again, looking for a conversation starter.

She looked at the pre-teen girls gossiping about Twilight. She looked at the coffee themed wallpaper. She looked at the waitresses running around like headless chickens trying to deliver coffee to people. She even looked at the old man snoring away as his coffee cooled down.

She had to try to start a conversation! It was getting too awkward.

"Here's your vanilla iced coffee miss. Sorry for the wait," the waitress smiled brightly.

Kagome looked up, smiled, and muttered a quick thank you. She was grateful someone else had broken this awkward silence for her.

Sesshoumaru looked up once again, "Iced coffee should be cheaper than regular coffee not the other way around," he randomly stated.

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise, but they softened as she realized he tried to start a conversation.

She nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

He deemed the answer sufficient and began to type once more.

Kagome visibly relaxed as the two settled in a comfortable silence.

* * *

Sorry that's it. I don't have the attention span to write more than this for a chapter. Sometimes, I would combine chapters to make it longer. But, for this chapter, it wouldn't flow well if I added more.

Sorry for some OOC-ness, there will be some since this is an AU.

So meh...

Review please!


	4. Almost Friends

Hey everyone! here's another chapter... It's longer than usual because I combined two chapters and added two more parts. I hope you guys would enjoy and review. I love having visitors because it shows people actually read what I have to write, but reviews just makes it even more special.

Reviews: I just figured out how I can read them! I gotz my first two reviews like from eva!

So I thank you, two awesome people who deserve cyber cookies.

**goddessofanime2003- **Thanks for being my first ever reviewer! Enjoy Yourself. B-)

**rogueDevi**- Yeah, having upperclassmen friends can suck. I had the same problem last. But, its great when they come back to visit. Sometimes it feels like they never left because they visit the school too often. lol

Disclaimer: No own :/

_

* * *

She nodded in agreement. "Yeah."_

_He deemed the answer sufficient and began to type once more._

_Kagome visibly relaxed as the two settled in a comfortable silence.

* * *

_

Chapter 4: Almost Friends

"Sit with me tomorrow," he said as Kagome packed up to leave.

Kagome looked at him, a bit startled. It took a full minute until she finally grasped the meaning of his words and she faintly smiled.

"Okay."

She slung her guitar over her shoulder and sauntered out.

Sesshoumaru only stared at her fading back as his golden eyes softened microscopically.

* * *

_A day later..._

Kagome felt a heavy shadow blocking her from the sun. She looked up and saw someone with unusually long silvery-white hair. She smiled and got up. She quickly packed up her guitar as Sesshoumaru waited.

After she was done, they walked side-by-side into the quaint little café.

Over the next few days, the two kept to their new routine. Kagome would play her guitar outside until Sesshoumaru comes along. They would then walk into the café together, order something to drink, and sit in a comfortable silence. Sesshoumaru would always be typing away on his computer and as the days go by, Kagome started to bring a book in order to save herself from ultimate boredom.

Occasionally, one of them would make a random remark. The other would comment on it and they would go back to their companionable silence.

It would never turn into a full-blown conversation or discussion. The two seemed to enjoy the silence very much so. They were at peace.

* * *

It was in the beginning of August when their peace was broken again. It was a normal sunny day. The trees were bright with life and the heat swarmed like mosquitoes. The two newly graduated adults were enjoying each other's silent company like any other day.

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru said, "I'm leaving."

"To where?" was his response.

"Bailtmore. College. John Hopkins. This Sesshoumaru needs to settle in the dorms."

"Oh, well I'm leaving too." Kagome suddenly decided as she didn't want to be outdone by him.

"Where are you going?"

"New York," was the nonchalant reply.

"NYU? Columbia?"

"No, I'm going to work."

"Oh."

He didn't press it. He never was a curious person by nature.

They went back to their usual silence and proceeded on like they always did.

But, both of them knew this was probably the last time they'll see each other in a very long time.

* * *

Kagome was throwing her clothes into a duffel bag. She was determined to go to New York and follow her dreams.

No one understood her here in this white-collared town except for maybe Sesshoumaru and he was leaving as well.

When she told her mother she was leaving, her mother only smiled condescendingly at Kagome like she was a three-year-old and said, "That's nice" and went back to making dinner.

When she told her brother, Souta, he ran around like a kid on sugar. He was excited and thought it was a family vacation to New York. Sadly, he was wrong, but that's okay, he was cute.

When she told her Grandfather, he only gave her a stack of demon repellent talisman and warned her of the numerous types demons in the big city like New York.

Kagome loved her family, but she knew it was time for her to leave the nest. She needed to spread her wings and soar.

She had enough money. She had saved almost two thousand dollars from baby-sitting and playing the guitar over the past few years. It was about time to go to New York and become her own self.

* * *

Sesshoumaru was reading. He had packed days ago and purchased an airplane ticket months before. He had checked and rechecked every little detail. He called the movers already and everything was going according to plan. There was nothing more he needed to do.

_Except saying goodbye to Kagome_

Sesshoumaru ignored that little thought.

There was _nothing_ more he needed to do.

* * *

The next day, their table was conquered by a few obnoxious pre-teens. The previous occupants were nowhere to be seen.

A waitress of the small café felt something off. The café seemed to be a lot…_noisier_ than before. She shrugged and decided to not think that hard.

She went along with her business as she failed to notice two frequent patrons of the café were missing.

* * *

AN: HOHOHO! You didn't see that coming did you? But yes, they're going to be apart for a while until I find a reason to make them _coincidentally _again. Evil laughter ensues.

For the next few chapters, please bare with me as I blunder my way through the geography of New York City and Baltimore. I've only been to Baltimore once or twice and New York... more than I can coun-... Wait a second, I live 15 minutes away from the City...

Shoot, that means I don't have an excuse if I make a mistake on the layout of New York... Dammit

Anyways, now you know where I live... you STALKERS! AHHHH! I'm going to get raped :0

Now, please excuse me as I run away to Mexico and become a Russian.


	5. And Life Goes On

Hey everyone! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a few days. I had finals-the most gruesome week every year-so I didn't get a chance to write and edit.

I just wanted to get something out before I leave for an anime convention. So, that means I have 2 minutes to finish this and go. This means I won't have a chance to respond to any reviews today. Sorry :(

BUT! Thank you so much for ...

i dont own BYE!

_A waitress of the small café felt something off. The café seemed to be a lot…_noisier _than before. She shrugged and decided to not think that hard._

_She went along with her business as she failed to notice two frequent patrons of the café were missing._

Chapter 8- And Life Goes On

Kagome used forty dollars out of her carefully counted wad of money for the train ticket. Her train was at 10:02 pm. It was a night train. That means she could sleep instead of waiting around for the train to get there. That thought made her happy.

Life was good. Well, at least that was what she thought at the time.

* * *

Sesshoumaru called up a taxi. He had his carry-on and he was heading to the airport. Everything was going to plan and everything_ will _go with his plan. He wouldn't allow it otherwise.

* * *

Kagome was in a bind. She had used the last of her money that she saved up to make the deposit for her small run-down, dirty apartment. She didn't have anymore money for food or other basic necessities.

She needed a job and she needed one fast. But, she wasn't too worried. This was New York; she's bound to find a high-paying job in such a vast city.

* * *

Sesshoumaru was in another airport waiting for a friend to pick him up.

His friend was already a sophomore at Hopkins. Sesshoumaru had strategically made this friend when his gut told him he was going to John Hopkins one way or another.

He had made this friend in order to help himself succeed. His friend could tell him what's going on, what were the hardest classes, where to do his laundry, which classes or professors were the best and lots more. It would help him adjust to life on campus.

"Master Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru looked around and saw his friend, Jaken waving at him. The toad-like man hurried towards him.

"It's an honor to see Master Sesshoumaru again! I shall be your faithful servant and I will serve you well!" Jaken beamed with delight as he took Sesshoumaru's suitcase.

"Hnn..."

Jaken was a weird kid with weird habits and Sesshoumaru wasn't about to stop Jaken if it benefited himself. Sesshoumaru only mentally shrugged as Jaken eagerly took his carry-on and led the way.

* * *

Kagome sighed as she walked out of a tall skyscraper. She was rejected from another position. She was really _trying._ She was trying really hard, too hard, one must say.

But, Kagome was naive she did not realize one important thing; she was a nobody.

She was a kid fresh out of high school with no degrees or even a high school award under her name. No one believed her based on words. She needed recommendations and prove she was able to do a certain job. She had none of that, but she knew she was more than qualified for a variety of jobs.

It's just that no one believed her.

She dejectedly went back to her crappy apartment. That night, she slept on the floor with an empty, grumbling stomach.

* * *

Sesshoumaru was overseeing the movers as they placed things in his dorm room. His father was a wealthy businessman and he had the money to hire movers even for simply moving into the dorms.

He and his father didn't agree on a lot of things. His father's mistress turned trophy wife and his half-brother, Inuyasha were few of the many. But, they tolerated each other since they were still connected by flesh and blood.

That couldn't said about him and his half-brother, Inuyasha. Inuyasha had a rash, hot-tempered personality which clashed horribly with his own.

Sesshoumaru planned and executed his plans with efficiency. Inuyasha did not think and usually makes a mess out of things. They were the complete opposite and they argued every time they would come near each other.

They usually stayed far away from each other; they were just too different from each other.


	6. And Oh How Different They Became

So, I'm sorry I left you with a 'sorry, gotta go!' My friend's mom honked at me get my arse out, so I scrambled...

That's why I never finished my 'thank you.'

So, I'll try again. Thank you so much for putting this story on alerts/favs/communities. I also thank you dearies for the lovely reviews.

Thank you to **Inukag19**, **TashaLyn13**, **CrescentMoon760**,** FK306 animelover**, **ishala8**, **V. Lohengrin**, and **x0xDark-Angelx0x** for your encouraging reviews. It makes me happy that people actually take their time to write such great encouragements to me. Thank you very much.

To respond to other reviews (aka questions or just really long reviews):

**Amaya-Ai**- I know, I know, I'm trying to write more, but my attention is nonexistent when there's shiny objects near my laptop. And, they'll be back together soon enough. I hope. Lol, but yeah, I think I do have the plot worked out, so there's going to be a lot revealed when they meet again. I shall not spoil. And thank you for your awesome review and compliments. I had fun reading it.

**rogueDevi**- Yes, I shall be a Chinese Russian in Mexico. It's almost like how Simon's a Black Russian in Tokyo in the anime Durarara. Except Simon's a lot cooler than me. But you know what? I'll be selling burritos at a burrito stand and speak really bad accented Spanish! Take that Simon! lolz

**CrescentMoon760**- If you think Kagome is suffering now, then you'll hate me for what happens to her in this chapter. Muahahaha!

And I don't own anything!

* * *

_Sesshoumaru planned and executed his plans with efficiency. Inuyasha did not think and usually makes a mess out of things. They were the complete opposite and they argued every time they would come near each other._

_They usually stayed far away from each other; they were just too different from each othe_r.

* * *

Chapter 9-And Oh How Different They Became

* * *

K (1)

Every year, millions of young, bright-eyed people move into New York in order to pursue their dreams. They expected New York to be great, and they expected themselves to immediately reach their goal upon arriving whether the goal is to be a famous actress or a supermodel or even a five-star chef. But, their dreams were almost always unrealistic.

After a few months, their bright eager eyes become dull, their dreams become a mere fantasy and their personalities loses its spark. The city has killed them; swallowing them whole, slaughtering them mentally bit by bit. They struggle to survive, to escape, to get out, but it's no use. The city has trapped their souls and refuse to let it go.

Kagome was one of them. She had big city dreams; she thought New York would end all her troubles, but she was wrong.

After a week of searching, she found herself a job. It wasn't the job she had hoped. It wasn't the job she wanted and it certainly wasn't the job she thought she would ever have.

But, the job kept her fed and it was all that mattered to her.

* * *

Classes for the fall were starting for Sesshoumaru. He wasn't worried, excited, or scared. It was just another school year and another step closer to his goal.

He had adjusted to his life in Baltimore. He had found a bookstore, a café, and a convenience store nearby.

He was admitted on to the school's prestigious fencing team and he had a 'servant' to do all his chores.

Everything went to his plan and he was satisfied with his life.

He was all set for the new year.

* * *

Kagome was tired. She was very tired indeed.

She felt as if she had walked one step forward and three steps back. Whenever she thought that life was starting to look up, something bad happens to her. It almost seemed that life was toying with her emotions. It seemed delighted to crush out all of her happiness from her body and replace it with negative emotions.

Yes, Kagome had become more dramatic than ever before.

But, who could blame her? She was a lonely girl without any friends in a cold city. Her job consisted of washing the dishes at a greasy diner for 11 hours a day. Her boss is mean to her and the cook was a pervert. Her guitar was collecting dust since she really didn't have time to play her guitar. E

very hour she spent at home was used to sleep and eat. She was tired, oh so very tired.

She had never thought she would fall so low.

* * *

S

Usually a freshman would never even dream to be acknowledged on campus in their first few weeks of college.

Well, unless the freshman was extremely exuberant and charismatic, he or she was usually ignored by upperclassmen until later in the year.

Ironically, Sesshoumaru was neither exuberant nor was he charismatic. He was rather emotionless and cold.

But how did he gain a reputation so quickly?

Simple.

Sesshoumaru was different and people, especially the boy-crazy girls, noticed his difference.

His personality was ice cold. Girls thought it was refreshing from all the other guys.

He had striking marks on his face. Girls thought they were tattoos. It gave him a dangerous edge.

He didn't talk. Others talked too much. Plus, the girls thought it gave him an air of mystery.

He was confident. Others had their moments of weakness when they become scared and lose confidence in themselves. He never did.

He was tall and easy on the eyes. The boy-crazed girls thought he was perfect; he was supposedly god's gift to the world.

He had a sophomore following his every beck and call. People thought that was peculiar. But, it somehow made Sesshoumaru look cooler to have a sophomore, Jaken, bending down on his hands and knees to serve him.

And the most of all, his major was what made others notice him.

Sesshoumaru looked like someone who would be a business tycoon or a brain surgeon. No one expected him to be in the pre-vet program instead. (2)

Girls thought it was endearing he wanted to take care of animals for a living. Others thought it was strange.

But, all in all, this is how he became famous in just a few weeks of attending JHU. (3)

* * *

...But, the most ironic thing is that Sesshoumaru didn't even notice.

(1) Since the story is going to be told in snippets of Kagome and Sesshoumaru's different lives, it might be confusing. So, if i don't mention their name in the first sentence, I'll put their first initial on the top to make sure it won't get confusing.

(2) John Hopkins actually doesn't have a pre-vet program. I just made it up to go along with the story. So, let's just pretend in story-land world that the pre-vet program at Hopkins is world-renowned and its better than their pre-med program. Okay? good! ^^

(3) JHU is John Hopkins University. I'll be calling it JHU from now on because I'm too lazy to type out 'Hopkins'

* * *

AN: So another chapter done. I hope you liked it! Please Review. I love all of your comments!

So, as I said before, I'm going to format this story a bit different. It's going to be in snippets. I think this is only going to be temporarily. It's until they meet again.

I'm sorry there's not going to be much development, but since tomorrow is my last day of school, I can update faster, which means the development will be fast! Yeah! If that made sense. It probably didn't. Ah well.

Anyways, I'm kinda suprised no one asked how was the anime convention and stuff. Well! I see how it is!

JK. But, I did have a spectacular time if anyone wanted to know. I'm still fangirling over certain things even right now.

So yeah, until next time!

-Sai


	7. Perverts and Fencing Maniacs

HIHI!

I'm back with another chapter! Please don't kill me for what happens in this chapter! *hides behind Sesshoumaru*

*Sesshoumaru moves away*

No, come back shield- I mean Sesshoumaru!

...

Anyways, thank you to all who reviewed/alerted/favorited/or even just read. I appreciate you all!

Replying time!

_I really need some theme music for it_...

**Amaya-Ai**- Yeah, Inuyasha's going to be in it soon enough. Didn't I mention him two chapters prior? Bank is probably going to be in it too, but I just need to figure out where to put him.

**Isaha8**- Thank you for the nice compliment. I'm feeling my ego swell right now.

**FK306 animelover**- Sankyuu! ^^

**TashaLyn13**- Her current job is washing dishes at a diner. I'm sorry I didn't emphasize it. I kinda just skimmed over it.

**x0xDark-Angelx0x**- I feel so bad for bashing Kags, but it has to be done...somehow. I'm sorry Kagome!

**CrescentMoon760**- Hey, lazy's my middle name. Besides, JHU sounds cooler... because its all intial-y and stuff.

And one more thing, I don't own anything which includes any references from pop culture I might incorporate in the story. The only thing I own is my teddy bear and the plot... actually I don't even know if I own the plot since there's so many stories out there. :/ Ah well. But, this is my last disclaimer for this story cuz I keep forgetting about them. So just remember, I also don't own any of the characters or Inuyasha-like things later on in the story. I never did and I probably never will. So there!

* * *

Chapter 7- Perverts and Fencing Maniacs

*Crash!* Another plate slipped through Kagome's hand and made its journey towards the ground. As if in slow motion, the plate inched its way downwards as Kagome tries to catch it. To her dismay, her hands were too slow and the poor plate shattered upon contact with the hard stone floor.

Almost immediately, the manager stormed in.

"Kagome! That's the third plate you demolished this week! One more broken plate and you're out of a job! Now, clean the mess up!"

"Yes Mr. Smith." Kagome replied without much enthusiasm as she moved across the kitchen to get a broom.

"Hmph! Kids these days! They're all failures if you ask me!" Mr. Smith grumbled under his breath as he walked out of the kitchen.

Even though the manager was only muttering, Kagome heard every word of that insult.

_They're all failures if you ask me!_

It went straight through her heart and left it a bleeding mess.

Kagome tried to ignore his words despite the effect they had on her, but it was all in vain. She just couldn't ignore her injured heart.

_They're all failures if you ask me!_

She slumped onto the floor and broke down. Her eyes were glassy and filled with tears. Her broom laid by her foot, forgotten. Her body stayed limp as she began to think.

She knew what he said was true. She knew it for a long time, but she didn't dare actually admitting it.

Kagome knew that she WAS a failure. She didn't plan anything. She didn't look up any music producers or even contacted them. She just thought… She had thought it was enough just to get to New York. She had thought New Work would solve all of her problems.

Why was she so naïve?

New York wasn't a magical place where all your problems would disappear.

No, New York had added more to her plate.

When she was living with her family, she didn't need to worry about the property tax, the groceries, the water bill, the electricity bill, insurance, savings, or even credit card bills.

Her mother took care of it.

But now, she was by herself. No one was there to pay her bills for her. She had to worry if she had enough money to last the week or not. She had to worry about the rent and the amenities and every else!

Kagome wished she was back home in her little suburban town. She would just live there without a worry.

_Wouldn't that be nice? _She asked herself.

She wished she had the money to go back.

She longed to be with her family. She wished she was playing Mario Cart with Souta or helping Mama with dinner. She wouldn't even mind helping Gramps with sweeping the porch.

She wished she was anywhere but this wretched, cold city. This city filled with millions of strangers who wouldn't even give you the time of the day.

* * *

Unknown to Kagome, as she wallowed in her own self-pity, someone else picked up the forgotten broom and started to clean up the remnants of the plate for her.

That someone kindly swept the broken pieces into a dustpan and dumped it in the garbage can. The person than place the broom back in to the original spot and went over to the girl. The person kneeled by her and tried to comfort her.

"There there Kagome. Ol' Smith is mean to everyone. Don't take his words to heart."

Kagome looked up. She glared.

"Go away, perverted cook. I like my breakdowns in peace!"

"I can't do that! A gentleman of my caliber should never leave a damsel in distress!"

Kagome just glared at the cook.

"My, my Lady Kagome! I'm terribly offended by how low you think of me!"

"Go away Miroku."

"No can do!"

"Damn you." Kagome sighed defeatedly.

"So why don't you start telling me about your problems?"

And so, Kagome spilled all her worries and insecurities to an almost stranger.

*Slap!*

"Watch where your hand's going!"

A completely perverted almost stranger.

* * *

S

"Fencers ready?" A booming voiced yelled expectantly.

"Ready sir!" Two voices answered in unison.

"Fence!" The first voice yelled again.

Sesshoumaru stayed en garde as his opponent tried to lunge at him. The opponent attacked him to the left. Sesshoumaru quickly did a quinte. The opponent tried to reprise, but Sesshoumaru was too fast. Sesshoumaru did a riposte, feinted to the left and then lunged towards the right. He proceeded on landing a point by striking his opponent's unprotected ribs.

*Beep* The electric system sounded as Sesshoumaru's foil touched the opponent's lame.

"Stop!" The referee yelled. The referee began to tell play by play what each fencer did and why Sesshoumaru landed a point.

After that, he said, "1-0 to Sesshoumaru. En Garde! …Fencers ready?"

And so, fencing practice went on.

* * *

Fencing Terms:

En Garde- Literally means 'On Guard' It's the stance that fencers use when they are getting ready to fence.

Lunge- An attack made by extending the rear leg and landing on the bent front leg. The sword is usually also extended by straightening the fencing arm.

Quinte-A parry number 5, the blade is up and to the inside

Parry-A block of an attack

Reprise-Renewal of an attack that missed or was parried

Riposte-A parry with a backwards glide. Also called a flying parry

Feint-Attacking into one line with the intention of switching to another line before the attack is completed. Its used to confuse the opponent.

Foil-A fencing weapon with rectangular cross-section blade and a small bell guard

Lame-A metallic vest or jacket that is used to detect valid touches in foil and sabre. It is used in electric fencing.

* * *

AN: This chapter was extremely hard to write because I had the scenes and images perfectly planned out in my head. This means I forget to mention a lot of things because I somehow assumed people can just magically read my mind. So, when I first read it, half the things didn't make sense. So, I had to edit this chapter a lot. Now, I kinda feel the chapters a bit overworked. :/

Oh yeah, Sesshoumaru with fencing. I thought it was fitting. I was really excited to write a fencing match because I fence and I should know what's going on. But, then I realized that all the terms were french and I never needed to spell them out before. I only needed to know how to pronounce it during practice, so I never actually typed them out before. So, I had to consult the internet. And I found this website that gave all of the fencing terms and definitions. It was a great help. So, if your interested, its going to be on my profile...soon.

And Miroku, I kinda mentioned a perverted cook in the last chapter. No one really caught it, but its okay. Miroku is usually the perverted monk- which he will be later on- but Kagome only knows him as the perverted cook from the diner right now.

Thank you for reading! Please Review!

-Sai


	8. Their Respective Lives

Hehe? Hi? I haz a proper excuse? Yeah. Don't mind grammatical issues and stuff (its's not been really proofread ). I just wanted to crank it out before I forget for another 5 months.

Hope you enjoy!

I don't own

* * *

_*Beep* The electric system sounded as Sesshoumaru's foil touched the opponent's lame._

_"Stop!" The referee yelled. The referee began to tell play by play what each fencer did and why Sesshoumaru landed a point._

_After that, he said, "1-0 to Sesshoumaru. En Garde! …Fencers ready?"_

_And so, fencing practice went on._

* * *

Chapter 8-Their Respective Lives

* * *

K (Miroku's POV)

Miroku looked at the weeping Kagome. He starred at her and finally realized the severity of his own situation. He was by far not ready to listen to some girl spill out her life's story. As much of a gentleman (*ahem* womanizer) he was, he was not prepared for an onslaught of a sobbing girl.

He also realized that he was probably going to loose his manly pride either way in this situation.

If he actually stayed and listened to her rant about her life, he's probably going to be scarred for life and therefore, loose his manly pride.

If he was going to suddenly chicken out, Kagome would probably take her depression on him and beat him into a bloody pulp which also will make him loose his pride as a man if it got out that a girl had beat him up.

Plus, it wouldn't be very pretty for him if his girlfriend, Sang- that's it!

He would just have to make Kagome talk to his girlfriend! Sango wouldn't mind having another girl to talk to! He wouldn't look like he was womanizing again and he wouldn't loose his manly pride! And most of all, he would look like a genius!

Miroku scrambled to his feet with a shit-eating grin. Kagome tilted her head and gave him a questioning stare.

Miroku looked down at her and cried out like a lunatic, "Lemme call my girlfriend! She's a better person to talk to then me! You would love her! Right? Right? Right?"

"…"

"I'm going to take these dots as a yes! Great! Imma gonna call her now!"

Miroku did a combination of a prance and a straight out run to the phone as if the phone was a plate of sashimi and otoro.

...

"Wait, you have a girlfriend?" Kagome spoke with a puzzled face.

* * *

S

Sesshoumaru walked out of Stats with a visible slouch to his shoulders. This was probably the first time he would ever admit this, but he was extremely tired of school.

The people in his classes were complete and utter idiots! Not that his high school didn't have its fair share of imbeciles, but at least they avoided him.

These college morons were below those high school imbeciles, they don't seem to be able to leave him alone!

He was tired of these girls and guys alike; they would come up to him with the excuse of not getting something Then, they would latch on and ask for a study date and proceed on asking him for his phone number even after he says no.

Why were they so annoying?

But it was not only at his classes, it was also during his fencing practices. These girls (and some guys) would come in giggling circles and 'cheer' him on.

Hn, more like disturb his concentration.

They would make posters and scream obscure cheerleading chants that don't even make sense. Then, after practice, they would crowd around him forcing snacks and lunches in his hands.

It was complete utter hell.

But you know what was even worse?

Jaken.

Now say the name again with as much dread as you can muster.

_Jaken._

He was the most annoying and sad excuse for a human ever in the history of men.

First of all, he wouldn't leave his precious _Sesshoumaru-sama_ alone.

Jaken would actually come into his room with a stolen copy of his key and make his bed or organize his pens which is a little more than just being creepy.

Jaken didn't seem to comprehend the definition of privacy.

Jaken also likes to insult others in his Sesshoumaru-sama's name which made him look terrible in the eyes of the student population, not that he cared or anything.

So Jaken was the epitome of annoying little shites who wouldn't leave people alone.

Why did he even make the effort of knowing this little annoying toad?

Ugh, why did he pick this college again? Oh right, he wanted to torture himself.

* * *

AN: Yeah yeah, I know everyone hates me and want to impale me with a spork now...but I do have an excuse. You see, back in July, my parents took me on a surprise vacation where I actually got a lot of writing done. When I got home, my hard drive crashed, and I lost all my data before I could upload it. Then, I was really busy with summer things (aka SAT classes from hell and pit orc from the torture chamber) and after that school started which was about 20 times worse.

The reason I got this chapter out was because I typed this instead of my English essay today at English. Yeah, smart idea. So enjoy while I slave away with my history homework. :)

-Sai


	9. Problems?

Previously...

_Why did he even make the effort of knowing this little annoying toad?_

_Ugh, why did he pick this college again? Oh right, he wanted to torture himself._

* * *

Chapter 9-Problems?

* * *

**Unknown POV**

New York was in frenzy. Well, it was rush hour, and people wanted to go home after a long, tiring day of work. So, it was understandable.

But, even though the city was in a hurried mess, one particular place was not. A large classroom at the outskirts of Columbia's campus was extremely still. The classroom was claimed by a college professor who rivaled Mr. Binns' dullness. It came to no surprise that the professor's students were sleeping, texting, staring at the clock or doing a combination of three.

Out of all his students, one student in particular was very bored.

No, that's an understatement.

Let's try this again: One student was so bored that she wanted to scratch her ears out and re-sew it back on just so she would have something to do.

Yes, boredom made her morbid.

So, when her phone suddenly screeched to notify she got a call, she was filled with joy. That was her ticket to freedom. She masked her excitement as she picked up her phone and put it up to her ear. She pretended to listen and then faked a sad face and teary eyes.

She slowly raised her hand and said, "Professor, my boyfriend got in a car crash and is in the hospital! I must go to him!"

The professor nodded and said, "Yes, yes run along now. So, where was I?"

The student packed her bag in a nanosecond flat while rushed out the door while her classmates gave her looks of envy.

When she was safely fifty meters away from the classroom, she put her phone back to her ear and said into the phone, "Miroku, what is it?"

"Sango? What was that all about? Wait, I don't even want to know," was the reply.

* * *

**S**

Sesshoumaru was annoyed more than usual. People didn't seem to care that he needed personal space.

Scratch that, he wasn't just annoyed, he was angry. Very angry.

* * *

**K**

Kagome was walking home with a little spring to her steps and a large smile on her lips.

Kagome was happy. Very happy. And it was all because of an amazing person named Sango.

Sango was what Kagome needed. Kagome broke down and sobbed about all of her problems.

Sango patiently took the time to listen to them and gave advice and solutions to each and every one of them.

No money? No problem, find a better job.

No time to practice? Two Words. Open Mic. There were many bars and cafés in New York and some of them are bound to have open mics. And if that doesn't work out, street performing also works.

No friends? Well, Sango counts and Miroku does too. That's two friends right off the bat.

What else? Rundown apartment is too expensive? Sango needs a new roommate. Kagome could move in.

Bam! Kagome's problems were solved just like that. Now what?

* * *

**S**

Life was a constantly nightmare. Why was college horrible?

Sesshoumaru really wanted to pull out his own hair. Jaken and the Fangirls were wearing out his last nerve. He couldn't handle this much longer.

* * *

Thank you for reading. I know I should update more consistently, but I really have a hard time doing that. Just bear with me, I'm sorry!

But, please feel free to review. I love the read them and it makes me feel better (unless they're flames) and update faster. :)


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